Small Talk

College is a world unto itself. You never could quite understand what its like until you experience it, especially if you live off a campus in a town that is not your own. It is really like living with nothing but your peers, filling your time with the things that interest people your age. Here at IU, I live in an area of a few sqaure miles that is composed of 95% people that are within 4-5 years of my age. Thats alot of 18-23 year olds. And I like it that way.

This is my world. It is molded around my needs and interests. Yes, I love the parties, the sports, the lazy days, and sometimes even class. My favorite part of college though is definently my dorm floormates. If you think about it, they are your family for a year. Your with each other all the time; you eat together, play together, and live together. And of all the happenings on the floor a part I enjoy the most is the idle and usually completely useless chatter.

Idle chit-chat can happen anywhere: sitting on the john, brushing your teeth in the morning, on the elevator, in the hall, or in anyone's room you pop into. Its topics range from anything to everything, but its value is always the same. After it is over, it means pretty much nothing. Whether it is how you bombed that test you just took, a funny story you heard or experienced that day, or how drunk you were the night before, it is pretty meaningless. It was one inherently good value, though. It always makes you stop and talk with someone, and almost always provides of moment of humor and a smile. It fills those unused moments of the day with something good. And the weirdest thing about it, is that it only works in a dorm setting. Eventually, your gonna wanna talk, and most of the time you don't have much to say. So, just throw out some idle chatter. You'll most likely make someones day better.

And always make the effort to give me some, I love it.